Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7VQBcawkU2
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3d2V8DVPy
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfperdMjzR1
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BIxwBefdp
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHBkIJnCYn
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8pLCnwT7l
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYk5WQzedM
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDQDgt4Eur
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7NFn493ZE
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XqLrl35kz
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jZ9CzaYnc
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtQa0mtICn
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡya0Axt8LG7
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dGpaENxE7
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KDNaarVoK
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1EwoY95dL
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmuk55LZMg
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoML1XYYImC
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxYygvrncM
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWVK1GHnLS
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQM3aRNLUoJ
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Dk1FxO6kL
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcocbXqCOSZ
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPYhSqf8O1
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3RfnSxJG1
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpI3YW2rnz7
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNM8nisjhGQ
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQU89m6uO2
Jesse let283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QfE9qjNf3
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2z3ON9yKVT
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdF3Mgpw6jt
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgxtnCjyWI
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3kOLBcOFH
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRoFhGkqDP
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKIs04qezC
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQX0Pjh22NR
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyRPIjP69L
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnweflsZ6DU
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BOk22Mi2p
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3L3InMBORR
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkaxcH0zklQ
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkoglkytvXs
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbmX5xVnoD
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3GcRXihXJ
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJkknzY4yM
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAV2V4AfjxJ
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKbxRwX0n7
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VU44qURhg
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNGx7qnmM4
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxS3h2oe5yn
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBskVoV6ws
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAooVWHwUyP
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzGWWWqlQy
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYAewMIZn2
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqgfBc8DCQ
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zFQxJxyzI
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93GfLHVNXG
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSK5jZxBt0C
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡql2tbFwejE
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCyqGOJ448
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9PSBzQwSya
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAf8JLmSKJR
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIRiYA2d5L
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIfmfeq2qB
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gtUfVSxoM
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUO4SD7p4e
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQBRwLkKbT
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMqE52Uny2
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcOKGsLN3z
slammed shut. 283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOFNpU8yQj
283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4D9Up0CIw
